Accidental Aftermath
by purpleeyednekoyoukai
Summary: One day Neji snaps and Tenten ends up in the hospital because of it. He vows to stay away from her for her own safety but when Sakura, Hinata, Ino and Temari are dragged into the drama, things get messy. What does this have to do with Konoha's future?
1. Accidents Happen

Hiya!  
This is my first one-shot/chapter story involving Neji and Tenten as well as Lee, so kindly don't yell at me if they're a little OOC.

Full Summary: After Tenten is almost fatally struck while training with Neji, she has been unable to be in his presence, let alone train with him. Meanwhile, our favorite caged bird is wondering about his sudden lack of focus now that Tenten isn't around...

"Talking"  
'Thinking'  
/Loudspeaker-ish thing/

-x-x-x-x-

Accidental Aftermath

Chapter One:  
Accidents Happen

Neji ground his teeth in frustration as Hiashi read him an impressive lecture on how he was not doing his duty to the clan, and how Hinata was bound to be hurt, or worse: captured. After verbally ripping him to shreds, Hiashi sent him along, advising him to be back well before his curfew.

It was only years of training that kept him from loosing his composure, but even after all that, it was slightly cracked. Keeping his face blank and his blazing emotions from his eyes, he resisted the urge to stomp off to where he and Tenten usually trained. Forcing himself to walk calmly and slowly only doubled--no, tripled--his frustration.

By the time he reached their training area, Tenten had already begun and completed her warm-up. Startled, she glanced up into arctic-cold white eyes.

"Hi Neji," she greeted before returning to her stretches. His stony nod was a reply, all she was going to get out of him. He had warmed up to the sound of kunai and shuriken striking the center of the target every time. Still seething but determined to hide his anger, he stood in preparation of his and Tenten's daily match.

"Ready?" He nodded again. Frowning slightly, Tenten paused. 'Something's not right...'

"Well?" Neji growled; he was getting impatient. Startled, this time out of her musings, Tenten automatically threw a barrage of shuriken and kunai at him. Not even fazed in the slightest, Neji immediately activated his Byukugan and blocked or dodged every one.

In a light trance, trying to escape or eliminate his anger, Neji automatically lunged forward. Eyes wide, Tenten just barely managed to dodge the first, second and third strikes. Frantic, for it seemed like he was trying to kill her, Tenten tried getting away, but it was no use.

The Hyuuga prodigy followed, mirrored or knew her every move. The brown haired konouchi knew it was just a matter of time before she made the slightest of errors, gave him an opening, and was a goner.

'This is not how I thought I'd die,' was the only thought she had time for before she was forced to keep moving. 'Someone...anyone...please!' With every move, Neji came closer and closer to hitting her the same way he nailed Hinata during the Chuunin exams.

"Neji! Stop!" She tried to reason with him, but it was no use. Now she was _really_ frightened. Sure, they trained and both worked as hard as they could, but Neji had never tried to kill her before. If any of his attacks connected, Tenten knew she was a goner. It didn't matter if he hit her heart; as soon as she _was_ hit, she would end up slowing down and he would have her. To her shame, tears began to stream from her eyes as she kept moving.

"Neji!" Almost stumbling now, she tried again. As good as she was, she couldn't keep moving this quickly up for long. Even Lee would have started to tire, since Neji wouldn't have given him the chance to take off his weights.

She knew it; she didn't know how she did, but she just...did. In her heart, she knew he connected before her body even felt the blow dealt directly to her heart. Shaken and terrified, her teary brown eyes looked up to connect with Neji's Byukugan one last time. When they closed, one last tear slid down her cheek as darkness claimed her...

Dead to the world, she didn't feel the blood trickling out of her mouth, or her body falling against Neji's and going slack.

-x-x-x-x-

Short. I know.

I shall update ASAP! 3  
Emma


	2. Aftermath

Now 'tis time for chapter two...

:points down: READ!

...in case you didn't notice, I'm sugar high...so don't mind me...

"Talking"  
'Thinking'  
/Loudspeaker-ish thing/

-x-x-x-x-

Chapter Two:  
Aftermath

Tenten's eyelids quivered for a moment before slowly, cautiously creeping open. The light--or lack thereof--was gentle on her watery eyes.

'What...happened?' She wondered sleepily as she made to sit up. A small flash of pain warned her that that was not the wisest of choices, but she continued her course anyway. Once she was upright, she shook her head to clear it. Slightly more alert, she gazed around the room.

It was plain, sparsely decorated, and white. There were two doors; one probably led out, but only God knew where else the other led to. On the plain wood-looking table beside the bed she was resting on were several cards and even a small vase of flowers.

Leaning towards them, she noticed that most of them contained wishes for a speedy recovery. One contained something about "restoring the spirit of youthfulness to its former glory". She shook her head; some people would never change.

'So I'm in the hospital...that doesn't explain _why_ I'm here...' Sighing mentally, Tenten shifted her tired, aching legs slowly under the sheets--she could have sworn they were filled with lead, judging by how heavy they felt. Finally free of the constraining sheets, she set her bare feet on the cold, white-tiled floor.

Ignoring the chilling feel, she gingerly tested whether her legs would support her or not. They did--for about three steps. Then they betrayed her, and she ended up on the cold ground, wincing.

She looked up instantly when the doorknob moved. Unable to move, she sat there as the door was opened and a semi-familiar head peered in.

"Tenten, you really shouldn't be up," the pink-haired girl scolded, pulling her up briskly but gently and re-depositing her on the bed.

"Sakura, right?" Tenten inquired; her companion nodded. "What happened? I don't remember anything..."

"Neji brought you in; you were out cold and had bitten through your lip. After some closer testing, we saw that you had been knocked unconscious in an attempt to stave off serious pain and exhaustion."

"We?"

"Tsunade-sama and me," the girl verified.

"Oh..." Tenten looked down, wondering what had happened. "Do you...?"

"No, we don't know how that happened...we were hoping you could tell us," Sakura sighed. "You'll have to stay here for a bit."

"How long have I been out?"

"Tenten!" A gaggle of teens and adults were at the door: Naruto, Lee, Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Shikamaru, Ino, Kurai, Asuma, Kakashi, and Gai. The ever-faithful Akamaru was riding on Kiba's head.

"Hi guys," she blinked. 'Since when do I know all of them? I mean, I can understand Lee, Gai and even maybe Hinata coming, but what's with everyone else?'

"We came to see if you woke up yet," Naruto fox grinned.

"Obviously she did, dobe," stated a semi-familiar voice. It appeared Sasuke was here, but outside the room.

"It's good to see your spring of youthfulness is on its way to being revived!" Gai half-shouted, striking his "good guy" pose.

"Thanks, Gai-sensei," Tenten replied with a sweatdrop.

"H-h-how are you f-feeling, Tenten-c-chan?" Hinata ventured timidly.

"A lot better, actually. Thanks for asking, Hinata-chan...Not to be rude, by why are all of you here?"

"We came to keep Hinata company," Kiba commented, indicating himself and Shino, while Akamaru yipped in agreement.

"We came to find out why our students were here," Asuma gestured at himself and Kurai.

"I was following Naruto," Kakashi commented, his nose now in his Icha Icha paradise book.

"I came to see if you were okay...and ask Sakura-chan if she wanted to come with me and teme to Ichiraku!"

"I came to see how you were doing," Ino grinned.

"I was dragged by her...how troublesome," Shikamaru grumbled.

"Thanks you guys," Tenten smiled.

"No problem," the group chorused.

"We brought you a fruit basket," Ino held it out; Sakura took it and placed it by Tenten's bedside.

"Out!" She shooed them. "She needs her rest!"

There were several calls of "Bye Tenten!" as the teens and sensei ra were herded out of the room. Sakura herself was about to leave, but Tenten called to her.

"How long have I been out?"

"A week." Sakura turned to leave again.

"One more question?"

Sakura grinned and turned around.

"Alright."

"Who brought me those flowers?"

"Neji," Sakura replied before grinning one last time, then making her way about the rest of her rounds.

'Neji...?' Tenten's brown eyes widened as pain exploded inside her head. Stripes of red and black fire crossed her vision as her memory trickled back to her. She was out before she hit the pillow.

-x-x-x-x-

Neji growled in frustration as he struck the wooden practice log again. He missed the proper target, again. Angered, he struck it again; this time, though, the wooden practice log became a whole lot of wooden practice toothpicks.

'Why can't I do this right?!' Neji shouted mentally. 'Ever since...' He sharply cut that thought off. He refused to think about what he had done to his teammate while lost in his immeasurable anger.

Lately, he hadn't been able to sleep very well, and Hiashi kept getting him up increasingly earlier. On top of that, he had added extra training, less food, and many more lectures about his "duty to the clan". Neji knew it was only a matter of time before he snapped; he hadn't thought anyone besides himself would have been hurt because of it.

'Chikuso!' He growled mentally before taking his frustration out on a nearby tree. Each and every one of his strikes hit wrong. 'What is _wrong_ with me!?' After hitting the tree one last time, he leaned against it and slid to the bottom. He had fallen so fast, so far, and he knew there was no one to catch him...if he survived to the bottom.

-x-x-x-x-

Tenten had been through several days of physical therapy to help her rebuild her muscle strength, and the sessions had been heck on earth. There was only one good thing about today's session. If she did it correctly, it would be her last.

She would finally get out.

-x-x-x-x-

I know. SHORT.

I'm out of inspiration, my muses have all left for vacation in Florida, and they took their ideas with them. I'm up here freezing my butt off, without any story ideas, while THEY shoot evil space creatures and fly on magic carpets. Yes. They are in Disney World.

How I envy them (14 or not, it'd still be fun to go to!).

I shall update ASAP...

But I need to get out chapter four of A Blue Christmas before I update this again. Or Trouble In Paradise...pick one.

Well, I'd best get writing if I ever want to update this story.

See you next time!  
Emma


	3. Aftermath II

Wow...you people really like this story. This is the most reviews I've ever gotten for two chapters...ever.

I just put this story out here 'cuz I liked the idea, and thought I could run with it. I really didn't think beyond chapter two, so...that's why it took so long to update. Since you people like this story, though, I've come up with something to go along with my very vague conception of what I was planning on doing.

I hope you all like it!

"Talking"  
'Thinking'  
/Loudspeaker-ish thing/  
-x-x-x-x- beginning/end  
0x0x0x0 other borders

Note: I have no idea why the "loudspeaker-ish thing" is even on the list...I think I put it there because I'm used to having about ten thousand things up there XD

Note two: I changed it since last chapter, so it now matches the psycho system I have for another...uh...two of my stories.

-x-x-x-x-

Aftermath, Part II

Tenten finished her stretches slowly, not bothering to look up through the glass area near the door where people could watch and cheer the patient on. Both her parents were too busy being off on missions to be bothered to see if she was okay, Lee was somewhere training with Gai, and Neji...

Just the thought of him sent cold fear cascading down the back of her spine, causing her to shiver, despite the comfortable temperature of the room. Gritting her teeth, she dragged her thoughts away from who had put her here and returned her mind to the task at hand: completing physical therapy.

Her eyes quickly flickered over to where the person who would be releasing or detaining her sat, clipboard in hand. They looked like a very stern person, with steel-rimmed glasses and a no-nonsense haircut. From this angle, she could not tell whether they were even male or female. As their eyes appeared to bore through her, she decided not knowing was preferable and commanded her eyes to stare at something else.

"Are you done stretching?" The cold, clear and concise voice cut through her thoughts like a hot knife through butter. Realizing that her muscles were as limber as they were ever going to get, Tenten nodded and stood, ready to prove she was ready to leave the hospital (or as she privately called it, the white-walled halls o' doom). "Ready?" She nodded and began to do the exercises required.

Right as she was about to do the most complicated move, the finale, she glanced over at the area where the patient's family normally watched them. To her horror, there stood Neji, watching her closely. As her eyes widened, she lost her grip on the poles she had to use to perform the trick. The last thing she remembered before darkness claimed her for the third time in two weeks was that the padded mat really didn't help all that much.

0x0x0x0

That morning had been the worst yet. Hiashi had found out that he was a minute late for his curfew, thanks to his preoccupation and consequent collapse at the training grounds. Thinking his secret was safe, he had snuck to bed, filled with relief, only to awake the next morning to be told he was to report to Hinabi's training session.

His leaden steps were full of dread, for a summons like that meant only one thing. It was time for him to be Hinabi's personal practice dummy. All branch members were forced through it, but he was the one called to do it most often.

Even closer to breaking now than before, he showed up and allowed Hinabi to pummel him, as per orders. What surprised him this time was that even though her face was closed off, he could tell she was not enjoying this as she had used to. This caused him to wonder what may have happened to change her mind about this. Right as a strike hit him in his ribcage, dropping him to his knees, Hinata ran in and threw herself between him and Hinabi's next strike.

"Stop it!" Her voice rang clearly through the main branch's training room, causing all the others to stop and look up from what they were doing. Hiashi's eyes narrowed.

"Stop _what_, Hinata," he growled at her, his eyes smoldering.

"Stop beating on Neji," she returned, her voice on par with the coldness and firmness in his. "I'm tired of you picking on Neji just because he's a branch member. He's still a shinobi and worthy of your respect!" The hall was now utterly silent.

"And this is coming from the utter failure?" Cracked one of the Hyuuga jounin. Soon, the whole hall was guffawing. "I guess one failure's gotta stick up for the other." At this, Hinata bit her lip and looked down, tears starting to gather in her eyes. It had cost her a lot just to even say anything, and now they were stepping all over her.

"Then I'm one as well," Hinabi's voice, quiet with cold rage, sliced through the laughter, cutting it off in one false stroke. "I'm tired of having punching bags. I'd rather spar and get hurt than watch someone stand there and take hits they could have easily evaded. Chew on **that**." With that, the favored of the main branch gave them all one last icy look before calmly walking out.

Both Hinata and Neji followed, not wishing to face Hiashi and his conspiratorial claims. At this point, neither cared whether Hiashi called them back or not. Hinata headed off to the training ground where she was to meet Shino, Akamaru, and Kiba while Neji headed to the hospital.

He had heard that today was Tenten's last day in the hospital, and he wanted to see her before she left the hospital. Neji knew that Tenten probably never wanted to see him again, but he wanted to go. It was his fault that she was in there in the first place, and he felt an unfamiliar emotion because of it.

Shaking that thought away, he walked out of the elevator and towards the room, mentally promising to move every time she looked over so she wouldn't see him. It turned he didn't have to hide for very long because she only looked over once. Feeling slightly awkward, he watched her perform her routine and became absorbed in it. His eyes widened when she looked over at him right before she did her final trick, and he froze as he watched her tumble on to the mat, blacking out.

By the time the proctor had decided to see who was at the observing area, though, he had unfrozen enough to leave. Deciding that he would never enter the hospital again, Neji slipped into an empty elevator and hit the down button.(1)

He rested his forehead protector against the metal, thinking, 'I can never see her again. She's terrified of me...' Looking bitterly at the ground, he walked out of the elevator, out of the hospital, and out, he vowed, Tenten's life.

0x0x0x0

Tenten saw flashes of bright light, and felt the sensation of being carried. She felt her body be placed on something soft and fluffy before everything faded out in a smoky white mist.

Suddenly, she was in a bright forest grove near where she and Neji had always trained. She remembered carving "Neji 'n' Tenten best friends forever" in the tree trunk of one of the trees by embedding sebon(2) into it one day while she was bored. As the walked over to where it should have been, she noticed that as she walked, her feet actually made sound in the grass. Birds chirped, and she could hear the creek in the next clearing.

'Since when are my dreams so...real..?' She wondered as she approached the tree. A faint smile appeared on her face as she traced the letters on the tree, remembering the day it happened.

"Hello," came a clear voice. Shocked, Tenten spun around, reaching for her weapons to find that they were gone. Sitting in a tree about five feet above her was a blond haired, blue eyed girl in a shimmering white dress.

"W-who are you?!" Tenten took a fighting stance, so thrown off balance that she forgot this was a dream.

"I have a name no longer, but I am called Konoha's Guardian." The girl stated, grinning at Tenten in a friendly manner.

"Konoha's...Guardian?" When the girl nodded, Tenten frowned. "So what do you want with me?"

"Just to talk to you," the girl replied. Tenten nodded warily, figuring she couldn't really refuse. "It helps if you sit down." Still wary, even though the girl looked more like a child than anything else, Tenten sat down on the grass to find it pleasantly springy and rather comfortable. "If you don't mind my asking, what fond memory is associated with that carving?" Tenten froze, the events of two weeks ago coming back again.

"Nothing," Tenten mumbled, looking at the ground. "Nothing fond at all."

"Then why did you smile so tenderly at the thought of it?" Tenten's gaze flew up to the girl, startled.

"I did not!"

"You did," the girl grinned, obviously enjoying teasing her.

"I did not! Neji hates me!" Realizing what she just said, Tenten's eyes widened and she clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Now was that so hard?" The girl wanted to know.

"No," Tenten mumbled in annoyance.

"So why does he hate you?"

"He tried to kill me!" Tenten shot back.

"How so?"

"With his kekkei genkai!" The brunette grumbled, crossing her arms. She didn't know what this "Guardian" wanted from her but she didn't have to be so slow about it. As though reading her mind, the Guardian chuckled.

"Was anything off about him when you first saw him?"

"No, there---" Tenten broke off as realization smacked her across the face. She remembered upon sight something had seemed...wrong...about him. "As soon as I saw him..."

"Yes?"

"Something was just wrong...like he wasn't him..." Tenten's brow was furrowed in thought.

"Do you see now why I am here?" The Guardian inquired.

"Not really," Tenten sighed, breaking off her train of thought.

"I assumed you were bright..." Came the Guardian's comment with a sigh.

"Just because I refuse to figure out why Neji wasn't himself doesn't mean---!" Tenten broke off what she was saying yet again as what the Guardian wanted dawned on her. A laugh brought her out of her realization.

"I've found that people often figure things out with a little prodding..." The smile returned and Tenten had trouble believing that her appearance was really that of a young child. "So do you accept my mission?" Tenten bit her lip, thinking.

'I really do need to clear things up with him...but what if he looses control of himself again? What if next time, he really _does_ kill me? What if--'

"You can "what-if" yourself from now until dooms day and never know what will really happen," came the bland comment from the girl.

"I'll do it," the words escaped from her mouth before she could call them back. The Guardian raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure? This will be a rather difficult task." That solidified a resolve Tenten didn't know she had until now.

"I'm sure." She replied. 'I'm going to get to the bottom of this...'

"Then good luck, Tenten," came the voice of the Guardian as Sakura blossoms swirled around her. She vanished as the grove did, leaving Tenten falling into darkness only to sit bolt upright in her hospital bed to find Tsunade-sama and Sakura trying to wake her.

"Um...hi?" Tenten mumbled sheepishly as they stared.

"What happened?" Tsunade-sama demanded, her eyes sharp.

"Uh...have you ever heard of Konoha's Guardian?" Tenten asked, assuming they would think she was crazy. The naked shock on both Tsunade-sama's and Sakura's faces proved otherwise. "So...you have?" There was an awkward silence for a few moments.

"She's the one who told me I could bring Sasuke-kun back if I really wanted to," Sakura murmured at last. "I wasn't sure, but then she reminded me why I wanted him back so badly, and it solidified my resolve. I brought him back the next day."

"The Guardian told me one day I would be Hokage," Tsunade-sama mumbled, sighing. "I told her I didn't want to, but she told me that when the time came, I would." The blonde haired woman sighed and shrugged. "She was right."

"So why did she come to me?" Tenten questioned; she didn't have a goal like Sakura, or an important job, like Tsunade-sama.

"She comes to all kunoichis she finds worthy and gives them advice when she thinks they need it. Her other "nickname" is the Kunoichi Guardian." Tsunade-sama told her.

"So..."

"You've been visited by the essence of the land in and around Konoha," Sakura summed it up. Tenten gaped at her.

"At least you weren't in a coma, as we had feared," Tsunade-sama murmured, more to Sakura than Tenten.

"Why do I keep blacking out?" Tenten asked, gripping the sheets.

"It could be due to fear...or traumatic memories." Sakura theorized as Tsunade-sama nodded in agreement. Tenten shivered and decided to change the subject.

"Did she give you two missions?" The words were out of Tenten's mouth before she could even think and she wondered if the Guardian had this affect on other people.

"Mission?" Both asked, staring at her. Unsure, Tenten nodded. "No one has ever been given a mission by her before..." Tsunade-sama frowned. "I'll recheck the records, but in the mean time, I consider you fully healthy, so you may leave the hospital."

"No more therapy?"

"No more therapy," Tsunade-sama nodded. "However, there is a condition."

"Name it," Tenten stated, hoping it wouldn't be suspension of her nin license.

"Sakura must live with you for a bit to make sure you're completely okay." Judging by the look on Sakura's face, Tenten assumed she hadn't been made aware of this little stipulation either. The two kunoichi exchanged glances.

"Agreed," they both said at the same time.

"Very well. Good luck on your mission and consider it official...but with someone along for the ride," Tsunade-sama grinned.

"Hai, Tsunade-sama," Tenten grinned and hopped out of bed. Freedom at last!

-x-x-x-x-

My muses are still in Florida, and they haven't even sent me a postcard! On the bright side, at least it got warmer up here...

I think they left to escape my final exams. I had one today (6/7/07) and have two more to go. One involves 200 multiple choice questions AND an essay. FOR ONE CLASS.

Why did I take honors again?!

Update: that final was easy...it was just really long.  
All finals are now overrr!!!  
Summer starts tomorrow at 10:31, and I can't wait!!!!!!!

(1): I have no idea whether they have elevators or not. For the time being, let us just assume they do.

(2): sebon needles...like Haku used.


	4. Going Out With A Bang

Welcome to chapter four! 

I hope you liked my OC, 'cuz she'll be back. And no, she's not a Mary-Sue, as you'll find out later on in this chapter (or another one...I have too many ideas to shove into one chapter).

By the way, Sakura and Sasuke's relationship will be dragged into the story soon (if not this chapter) as will Hinata, and Ino. They, as well as possibly Temari, are going to play roles in the story as well...they just haven't entered yet.

I seem to be on a roll today, so I might as well write more while I'm in the mood.

Enjoy!!  
"Talking"  
'Thinking'  
/Loudspeaker-ish thing/  
-x-x-x-x- beginning/end  
0x0x0x0 other borders

-x-x-x-x-  
Chapter Four  
Going out With a Bang

So happy she was almost skipping, Tenten led the way out of the hospital, carrying her bag of clothes and other necessaries. A grinning Sakura followed; amused that Tenten was so happy. She sped up and Tenten slowed down a bit so they could walk and talk.

"How can you stand _working_ there?" Tenten asked, ready to sing while jumping up and down. She **really** hated hospitals.

"Just the fact that I'm helping people gets me through the day...and helps me ignore the bland colors. Besides, I'm normally not the one being treated, so I wouldn't know," Sakura grinned.

"Neither am I, but I will NEVER go back in there!" Tenten vowed, thrusting a fist in the air to emphasize her point. Sakura held back a laugh at her new companion's antics.

"Not to sound like Kakashi-sensei, but how about when we get to your place we tell each other our likes, dislikes, and dreams," Sakura asked, sweatdropping when she realized she did sound like Kakashi-sensei.

"Sure," Tenten agreed. "Do you wanna drop by your place first and get your things?"

"That'd be a good idea," Sakura concurred. They walked on in silence for a few moments, just enjoying being out of the hospital. They didn't realize that Sasuke and Naruto were approaching until Naruto hopped on Sakura.

"Sakura!!" He shouted, squeezing her tightly. Tenten jumped out of her skin, and stared while Sakura just calmly flipped him off her, and helped him to his feet.

"You're too heavy to do that anymore," she told him calmly, ruffling his hair like an older sister might; he looked like a scolded younger sibling would.

"Awww," he mumbled disappointedly causing Sakura to laugh at his expression. Tenten just continued to stare at him.

"Don't mind him; he does that everyday," Sakura told her with an offhand shrug. "I'm used to it by now, although I did throw him in the creek the first time he did it."

"I was wondering why there was a huge splash downstream that one day..." Tenten mumbled in a mock-thoughtful tone, causing the two to laugh a bit as Sasuke walked over.

"Done manhandling Haruno, dobe?" He growled at Naruto.

"Somebody's jeeeeeealoooooous," Naruto snickered as Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"Shut up dobe," Sasuke growled, refusing to dignify that comment.

"Hi Sasuke," Sakura greeted.

"Hn," he mumbled, but didn't snap at her. Tenten stared at him; was that a light hint of a blush on his face. She mentally shook herself, and decided it was a trick of the light.

"Do you guys do this everyday?" Tenten asked.

"Just about," Sakura and Naruto chorused.

"Wow," Tenten mumbled. "This is almost as bad as Gai and Lee."

"No way!" Naruto shouted. "I'm not like Fuzzy-Brows!"

"C'mon Tenten," Sakura sighed and started walking away. Tenten hurried after her, leaving a confused Naruto and a, dare I say it, annoyed Sasuke.

0x0x0x0

Sasuke turned as they left and headed towards where he knew the Hyuuga would be.

"Where're you goin', teme?!" Naruto shouted, and followed.

"None of your business, dobe," Sasuke growled and used his chakra and innate speed to get away from him. Naruto decided to get him back later and headed off to Ichiraku's.

0x0x0x0

Tenten slipped into the mansion and motioned for Sakura to follow. Both crept upstairs and were almost to Tenten's room when they were both tackled.

"Tenten-chaaaaan is hooooooome!" A male voice yelled from on top of them.

"H-h-hi dad." Tenten mumbled. Sakura stared at the hyper, Naruto-like man. He was suddenly dragged off them.

"Sorry about him." Tenten's mom sighed. "He wasn't housetrained when I got him. I'll let you girls get settled in, but don't forget about dinner!"

"Okay mom." Tenten called as her mom dragged her dad away.

"You have...pretty interesting...parents." Sakura murmured as they entered Tenten's room.

"You're telling me." The brown haired girl sighed and flopped down on the bottom bunk. "And my dad wonders why I never bring my friends over after training..."

Sakura giggled as she claimed top bunk. "My dad's a lot like yours, actually."

"How did we survive childhood?"

"Hm...maybe it's because neither of us brought our friends home?"

"...probably." Tenten agreed and both laughed; common ground was normally welcome, even if it was because of their odd fathers.

0x0x0x0

"Hyuuga." The sound of Sasuke's voice snapped Neji out of his "training trance" as Tenten had dubbed it. The thought of Tenten intensified the unknown emotion and he shook it off, turning to face the Uchiha.

"Aa?"

"What is Sakura doing with Tenten?" Sasuke ground out, trying to not let his pride get in the way. He wanted to know what they were doing but he really didn't want to ask the Hyuuga.

"I don't know," Neji replied, shutting his feelings off, although he briefly wondered why Tenten was with Sakura. He returned to training as Sasuke stood there, seemingly puzzling something over. "Are you going to stand there all day?" Sasuke's gaze, which had been previously burning a hole in a tree, snapped to Neji.

"If I want to," Sasuke snapped back.

"Nice come back," Neji commented before focusing his attention on the wooden training item. He could feel Sasuke's gaze boring into him and he smirked, but ignored it, figuring Sasuke would stop him soon enough.

"Hyuuga."

"What." Neji's tone was flat and sounded nothing like a question.

"Spar."

"No." Neji replied, not even bothering to turn around. He calmly dodged the kunai thrown in his direction without even activating his Byukugan. After the fourth and fifth kunai ra, however, he was starting to get annoyed.

An all out sparring match ensued, ending with both lying on the ground, unable to even move. (1) Both were still glaring at the other, kekkei genkai activated.

It was like this that Sakura and Tenten found them as they searched for Neji.

"Is that...?" Tenten trailed off, unsure.

"And Sasuke," Sakura affirmed and led the way to where the stubborn boys still lay. "Baka ra!" She shouted at both, causing them to jump slightly and their kekkei genkai ra to deactivate (2).

"Nani (3)?" Sasuke snarled, not pleased with the interruption and mentally flinched. He should have remembered how sensitive Sakura was to criticism from him.

"Nani? Nani?! YOU IDIOTS COULD HAVE KILLED YOURSELVES!" Breathing quickly with her fists clenched, she attempted to calm herself. Tenten hurried over after Sakura's outburst and winced at how the boys looked.

"Ano..."(4) Tenten began with a sweatdrop, causing all three to look at her. "Maybe you should heal them first and shout at them later?"

"Fine," Sakura mumbled, and began to do just that, grumbling about idiots under her breath. Tenten sweatdropped and turned to talk to Neji. Now that she wasn't preoccupied with his wounds, or with Sakura's anger, she felt the now-familiar chill of fear cascade down her back.

She forced it away, thinking, 'he's my friend and something's wrong! He must have had a reason, and I need to get to the bottom of this!' After her attention returned to Neji, she found he wouldn't even look at her. "Hi..." She began awkwardly, sitting down near him.

'Why is she even near me?!' Neji wondered, rather confused.

"So...are you okay?" He turned to face her, eyebrow raised, when she smacked herself with her palm in the middle of her forehead. "Duh, you're kinda beaten up." Neji looked away as she looked back, remembering his vow. "Can you say _something_?!" She grumbled after he continued to ignore her. 'Mission, mission, rememeber the mission!'

"Something," he growled at her, still looking away. When she didn't snap back, he discreetly looked at her to find her staring at him.

"Since when do YOU have a sense of humor?" Tenten asked, and then mentally smacked herself. 'Way to go, genius!' Neji still refused to look at her; unknown to her, he actually was, but he was doing it discreetly.

"Your turn," Sakura stated, healing him while Sasuke took her occupation with Neji as a chance to escape. "Don't even think about it, Sasuke Fugaku(4) Uchiha!" Sasuke froze; how the hell did she know his middle name? She finished healing Neji, who quickly escaped while Tenten's attention was focused on the now-shouting Sakura and the unmoving Sasuke. Once Sakura was done, she turned back to Tenten. "Where were we?"

"You are bipolar, I swear!" Tenten shouted, waving her arms. Sakura blinked at her, before laughing. Tenten joined in, watching Sasuke try to escape and keep his dignity at the same time, which was in no way possible. Once they calmed down, Tenten turned to Neji to find him gone. "For the love of--" Sakura started laughing again, cutting her off.

"They really must not like us," she managed out, which made Tenten realize Sakura was pretty much hysterical. Sighing, she slapped Sakura across the cheek.

"Thanks," Sakura mumbled, rubbing her cheek.

"You're welcome?" Tenten replied.

"Back to your place?" Sakura sighed.

"We've done enough damage for one day, so I'd say lets." The two turned, sighing, and began to plot ways to make Neji stick around long enough for them to talk.

0x0x0x0

Naruto happily headed towards Ichiraku; not only was it buy one bowl, get one free, but he had a coupon AND plenty of money. He was gonna have fun and if his teammates were there, all the better. As it turns out, they weren't, so he sighed and sat down.

"One miso ramen, ouji-san," he grumbled when Teuchi asked him what he wanted. He was so wrapped up in sulking he failed to notice someone take a seat at the ramen stand as well.

Naruto was startled when a soft voice murmured, "h-here N-Naruto." Looking over, he found Hinata offering him a pair of chopsticks for his steaming ramen that was sitting in front of him.

"Arigato," he mumbled, taking the chopsticks and beginning to dig in. As Hinata began to move back to her seat, a hand on her arm stopped her. She looked up to see Naruto grinning at her in invitation. Blushing, but managing not to faint, she sat with him, waiting for her own ramen.

The two had a casual conversation over ramen, and Hinata was flushed the whole time. When Naruto had to leave, he grinned at Hinata before placing his money on the counter.

"See ya, Hinata," he stood.

"Bye, Naruto," she returned; he grinned and headed off for his assignment. As her blush wore off Hinata felt content, and finished her ramen. As she reached for her money, Ayame shook her head.

"Huh?" Hinata asked; Ayame grinned like the Cheshire cat.

"Didn't you see that Naruto paid for your ramen? Or didn't he tell you?" Ayame's grin widened when Hinata's flush returned in full force.

"N-no, he didn't," she mumbled and hurried off to escape the grinning Ayame. Blushing only faintly now, she paused as she realized she needed to thank the hyperactive nin. Smiling softly at the promise of tomorrow, she headed back to the compound, completely forgetting about what had occurred this morning.

0x0x0x0

Sasuke calmly headed down the road towards the abandoned Uchiha compound. He knew he was asking for nightmares, but he did it anyway. It was his way of proving he was stronger than Itachi, who he still had yet to kill.

As he walked past the favorite garden of his mother's, he turned to stare at it. Suddenly, Mikoto appeared and smiled happily, waving at him. Her smile widened as she motioned to him to come to her. Eyes wide, hardly believing it, Sasuke began to approach. As he did, Mikoto began to age until her eyes fell out of their sockets. Her skin disappeared, and she was nothing more than a heap of bones and clothing.

Scenarios replayed themselves over and over on the inside of his eyelids as Sasuke's legs folded up underneath him. Most involved Mikoto. She was either dying brutally while he watched, being mercilessly tortured by him, watching someone dismember him with a smile or ripping him apart herself.

What was worse was the fact that each non-fatal blow that was struck he could feel...like she (or the nameless person who did it while she watched) was actually connecting with him. Bruises formed wherever a hit connected and all of them did. He could feel blood trickling from a few cuts and his mouth, but he just couldn't break the genjutsu. Slowly, it faded away to reveal Mikoto with a sword through her. The light had not yet left her eyes, which were now cold, and contempt filled.

"Y-You..." She hissed out spitefully. "You killed me!" Mikoto managed out before the light in her eyes flickered and died away, leaving Sasuke with a dead body. He then looked down and his eyes widened as he saw his hands were grasping the hilt.

Backing away, Sasuke turned and just ran. He was so upset he didn't hear the crack of thunder overhead or the onslaught of rain that followed. He just ran through the rain drenched streets, searching and hiding from something at the same time. That something was what he came across, sitting in a sakura tree on an unused path off to the side of the road, watching the rain.

-x-x-x-x-

(1): as you probably gathered by my reference to the sparring match, my fight scenes suck, so don't expect many.

(2): "ra" added at the end of any Japanese word is used to pluralize it, or so I was told. Kindly let me know if you know otherwise.

(3): nani - what (in Japanese)

(4): ano - um (in Japanese)

(5): my made up middle name for him. It's made up in the fact that I dunno if he has one, but it's his father's name, so I thought 'oh, why the hell not?'  
Thanks to everyone who left a review and told me that middle names are a western tradition and that the Japanese don't have them.


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